Fastening device.



w. H, uNDEnwoon. FASTENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, |909.

Patented. July 11, 1916.

wit/nemen uurrap 'sfr-.aras r TNT OFFICE.

" WALTER H. UNDERWOOD, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

FASTENING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Julyii, 191e.

'Application filed J une 16, 1909. Serial N o. 502,512.

To all whom it may concern.'

Beit known that I, WALTER H. UNDER- wooD, a citizen of the United States and.V

y and close where a movable flexible or collapsible fastener is useful.

To this end the invention consists of holding slides or slideways attached at or near the edges to be fastened together, prehensile eyelets or split rings, hereinafter described as sliders, adapted to slide to and fro on said slides, and laces, tongues or bars connecting the eyelets or rings on one slideway with those on the other and formed and constructed as fully described and claimed in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the upper end and mouth of a sack or pouch fitted with a fastening device embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a fastening tongue provided with suitable sliders or split rings.

' Fig. 3 is a cross section of the pouch opening shown in Fig. 1 with the tongue of Fig. 2 in position and closing the mouth'of the pouch; Fig. 4 shows a portion of a tongue provided with a modified form of slider. Fig. 5 shows the construction of a slideway embodying my invention. Fig. 6 shows the section of a body such as a shoe, legging, dress or similar article provided with an opening fitted with a fastening device em-y bodying my invention; and Fig. 7 shows a, modified form of slideway embodying my invention.

In this inventionI the application of the device to a pouch is shown in Fig. 1 and to a shoe, legging, dress or the like is shown in Fig. 6. The slides or slideways are fastened securely longitudinally ofthe edges of the aperture to be closed. These slideways may be made variously of different materials and'of different form as may be most adapted for the special use in each case. In Figs. 5 and 7 I have shown slideways consisting of wire bent or coiled into shape either cylindrical or otherwise, the shape being immaterial so long as theslideway allows the slider to move freely to and fro on it While the slider is held firmlyv in place. rI`he sli'deways b shown in Figs. 5 and 7 are provided with extension loops or eyes k which may be formed integral with the same wire in -the course of winding it. The

loops h are adapted to extend through holes similarly spaced along the edges of the opening as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. In Fig. 7 the slideway b is reinforced by inserting a coiled spring within it. The inner ends of the loops la, are held in place by a continuous check cord which is separate from the loops and extends through all of them to secure the continuous slideways b' to the outer side of the body along the edges of the opening therein.

The closing tongue g shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 6 consists of a single piece of exible material such as leather or of the material of which the body of the device having the opening therein is made. The tongueg is suitably fitted with the sliders or prehensile metal split rings c which are bent so as Figs. 2 and 3 so that they will. resiliently grasp the slideways and be capable of slid ing along them. The sliders o in Fig. 4 are independently and firmly connected with the bar g for greater strength and to allow the tongue g to be removed in whole or part for any purpose without opening the aperture. The sliders-are fastened-to the tongue by rivets or in any other suitable manner and the aperture is opened or closed by sliding them to and fro on the slid-eways b.

In applying this construction to a shoe it is desirable to place the slideways on the quarters back from the edge of the top vso that the ends will be somewhat farther apart at the top than at the bottom, giving the tongue the shape of an elongated V, as shownin Fig. 6 and thus providing ample opening when the tongue is pushed down to put on or take ofi' the shoe without difficulty. This construction is also well adapted for strength and rough usage such as in Amail pouches or sacks and the like. In a pouch the slides at one end may extend down 'the sides of the pouch as shown in Fig. 1 to allow space for the tongue and sliders to rest lto fit around' the slideway b as shown in when pushed back from the opening. To hold the tongue in place when the pouch is closed a slit may be made at the end which is to be fitted over a staple or similar convenient fastener and a padlock applied in the usual manner. ln the reinforced wire slide shown in Fig. 7 the second coiled wire may be inserted within the slideway b and coiled in the reverse direction to make the same morerigid.

While I have shown and described the in`- vention in detail I do not wish to be limited to the exact embodiment illustrated as it is obvious that various minor changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. i

I vclaim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent the following:

1. -A fastening device consisting of flexible slideways composed of coiled wire provided with loops of the same wire formed tangent to the coils, said loops constituting means whereby said slideways may be secured to a support, prehensile members fitted to said slideways and adapted to move tov and fro thereon, and a means adapted to connect the prehensile members on one slideway with the prehensile members on the other slideway, substantially as and for the= purpose set forth.

2. A fastening device comprising flexible slideways composed of wires in the form of continuous coils and provided with integral loops formed tangent to the coils, a cord or the like adapted to pass through said loops and secure the same to a support adjacent the aperture therein, said loops being adapted to pass through the support adjacent the aperture therein to receive said cord or the like, prehensile members fitted to-said slideways and adapted to move longitudinally' thereon, devices, each having the members associated with one Slideway secured thereto, and means for connecting said devices together. j

3. A device for closing an aperture in a flexible body comprising flem'ble slideways consisting of continuous coilsof wire provided at intervals with integral loops, said loops being adapted to extend through said body adjacent the aperture therein, a flexible member adapted to pass through said loops on the opposite side of said body from the slideways thereon and adaptedy to secure said slideways to said body adjacent the aperture therein, and means fitted to said slideways whereby the edges of the-'apertures may be drawn together to close the aperture.

4. A device yfor fastening together the edges of a flexible body, said device comprising slideways extending longitudinally of the edges to be fastened together, each slideway comprising a single lengthof wire spirally wound and provided at intervals with integral parts extending through said body to the opposite side thereof, members separate from said parts and cooperating therewith to secure said slideways in place, one of said members beingassociated with each slideway and extending' parallel thereto on the opposite side of said body therefrom, and means fitted to said slideways whereby said edges may be drawn together.

ln testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WALTER H. UNDERWOOD.

Witnesses:

E. VAN ZANDT, E. l?. LA GAY; 

